Gujarat's 27% healthcare facilities 'mixing up' biomedical and municipal waste: Study

By Jag Jivan
Finding “serious gaps” in disposing of biomedical waste in Gujarat, a new study, jointly carried out by Delhi-based environmental group Toxics Link in collaboration of Ahmedabad’s Paryavaran Mitra, has found that 13% of health facilities in what India’s powers-that-be consider “model state” have not even tied up with a Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), a condition without which they are not allowed to operate under law.
Worse, in a “grave” violation, the study said, 27% of the surveyed facilities are mixing their biomedical waste with municipal waste, while 15% facilities are disposing of their hazardous waste along with biomedical waste (BMW). This not only violates the law but also leads to increased infectious waste volumes as well as release of toxic products into the environment.
According to the study, titled ‘Don’t Dump That’, which seeks to assess the current status of hospital waste management in four major districts of Gujarat – Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha – most healthcare facilities including clinics pay no attention to occupational health and safety of the healthcare staff.

Thus, it said, activities like needle recapping were prevalent in 87% of the facilities and around 90% lacked any policy for post exposure prophylaxis. Pointing out that absence of needle cutters from important points in hospitals is a serious concern and may result in needle stick injuries and also needle reuse, it added, needle injuries have been globally identified as one of the key reasons for the spread of infectious diseases like Hepatitis and HIV among health care staff.
Satish Sinha, associate director, Toxics Link, cautioned, “The biomedical waste management rules in Gujarat are not being implemented on ground by most healthcare facilities specially the small clinics. Regulatory agencies need to strengthen the system and take legal action against healthcare facilities not following proper norms and also closely monitor the CBWTFs.”
The study, which collected data on biomedical waste management practices pre-Covid from 145 healthcare facilities from these four districts, including government and private hospitals and small clinics, found that the segregation practices were not proper in many of the facilities.
Most of the facilities visited had not installed an effluent treatment plant and many of them were not even connected to tertiary effluent treatment plants and were releasing liquid waste directly into the sewage system, it added.
The study further said, many hospitals were also not pre-treating their laboratory waste which is required as per the rules. Since most of the healthcare facilities are operating without adhering to the norms of the biomedical waste 2016 rules, it raises a question on the quality of monitoring mechanisms being adopted in the state.

The study found the condition of the waste storage areas in most hospitals poor and violating the norms laid by the 2016 rules, adding, the concerns related to functioning of CBWTFs, as there have been several reports earlier of the violations by some of them. “We found bags filled with waste lying unattended in some of the hospital premises”, said Paryavaran Mitra’s Mahesh Pandya.

Some key findings

Most healthcare facilities (HCFs) do not have their own websites, which is mandatory under the new rules
Most HCFs have not uploaded their annual report on their website, mandatory under the new Rules.
Biomedical waste generation records highlight improper reporting and mixing of general waste with biomedical waste.
Poor infrastructure in the storage areas, basic requirements not met.
13% facilities visited under the study not connected to CBWTFs
27% facilities disposing municipal solid waste along with biomedical waste
15% facilities disposing hazardous waste along with biomedical waste
Filled waste bags lying unattended in the hospital premises
19% facilities not pre-treating their microbiological waste/lab waste
Most facilities lack pre-treatment equipment like microwave/ autoclave
None of the hospitals have installed effluent treatment plant
Recapping of needle, a frequent activity seen in 87% HCFs and in 100% clinics
Lack of policy for post exposure prophylaxis
Information and communication material not placed at strategic locations
Case study and existing reports show appalling conditions of CBWTFs

Comments

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

Countrywide protest by gig workers puts spotlight on algorithmic exploitation

By A Representative A nationwide protest led largely by women gig and platform workers was held across several states on February 3, with the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) claiming the mobilisation as a success and a strong assertion of workers’ rights against what it described as widespread exploitation by digital platform companies. Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states, covering major cities including New Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with multiple districts across the country.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Budget 2026 focuses on pharma and medical tourism, overlooks public health needs: JSAI

By A Representative Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has criticised the Union Budget 2026, stating that it overlooks core public health needs while prioritising the pharmaceutical industry, private healthcare, medical tourism, public-private partnerships, and exports related to AYUSH systems. In a press note issued from New Delhi, the public health network said that primary healthcare services and public health infrastructure continue to remain underfunded despite repeated policy assurances.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

When compassion turns lethal: Euthanasia and the fear of becoming a burden

By Deepika A 55-year-old acquaintance passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. Why so many people are dying relatively young is a question being raised in several forums, and that debate is best reserved for another day. This individual was kept on a ventilator for nearly five months, after which the doctors and the family finally decided to let go. The cost of keeping a person on life support for such extended periods is enormous. Yet families continue to spend vast sums even when the chances of survival are minimal. Life, we are told, is precious, and nature itself strives to protect and sustain it.

Death behind locked doors in East Kolkata: A fire that exposed systemic neglect

By Atanu Roy* It was Sunday at midnight. Around 30 migrant workers were in deep sleep after a hard day’s work. A devastating fire engulfed the godown where they were sleeping. There was no escape route for the workers, as the door was locked and no firefighting system was installed. Rules of the land were violated as usual. The fire continued for days, despite the sincere efforts of fire brigade personnel. The bodies were charred in the intense heat and were beyond identification, not fit for immediate forensic examination. As a result, nobody knows the exact death toll; estimates are hovering around 21 as of now.

When resistance became administrative: How I learned to stop romanticising the labour movement

By Rohit Chauhan* On my first day at a labour rights NGO, I was given a monthly sales target: sixty memberships. Not sixty workers to organise, not sixty conversations about exploitation, not sixty political discussions. Sixty conversions. I remember staring at the whiteboard, wondering whether I had mistakenly walked into a multi-level marketing office instead of a trade union. The language was corporate, the urgency managerial, and the tone unmistakably transactional. It was my formal introduction to a strange truth I would slowly learn: in contemporary India, even rebellion runs on performance metrics.

Report exposes human rights gaps in India's $36 billion garment export industry

By Jag Jivan A new report sheds light on the urgent human rights challenges within India’s vast textile and garment industry, as global regulations increasingly demand corporate accountability in supply chains. Titled “Beneath the Seams,” the study reveals that despite the sector employing over 45 million people, systemic issues of poverty wages, unfair purchasing practices, and the exclusion of workers from decision-making persist, leaving millions vulnerable.

Search This Blog